White Station High School of Memphis Repeats Win at State Mock Trial Competition

14 teams from across state competed in Nashville for the honor

NASHVILLE, March 25, 2010 — White Station High School of Memphis claimed its second straight championship this Saturday, defeating St. Mary's Episcopal School in the 30th annual Tennessee State High School Mock Trial Competition. The team now will represent Tennessee at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in Philadelphia May 5-9.

The two-day state competition, which took place Friday and Saturday, involved 14 teams and 200 volunteers, including lawyers, law students and paralegals. Nearly 20 sitting judges in the state presided over the trial rounds at the Metro Davidson County Courthouse in downtown Nashville. Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Janice Holder presided over the championship match Saturday evening.

The teams put their skills to the test arguing the case of Advanced Distribution, LLC v. R.M. Construction, LLC - a fictitious civil case developed by the TBA's Young Lawyers Division, which involved a dispute over design and construction of a 400,000-square-foot distribution center. The central issue at stake was whether the work performed constituted a breach of contract and professional negligence. To reach the state competition, each team had to win its respective district competition last month.

Individual awards for best advocate and best witness were given as well. Recipients were:
Best Advocate for the Plaintiff -- Jeanette Baker, White Station High School
Best Advocate for the Defense -- Laine Beard, Brentwood High School
Best Witness for the Plaintiff -- Sarah Heath, David Lipscomb High School
Best Witness for the Defense -- Marck Twarzynski, Knoxville Catholic High School

Finally, the competition's team sportsmanship award was won by Dyersburg High School. That award recognizes the school that best embodies the values of the mock trial experience and demonstrates that commitment through its actions, words and attitudes - not only during trial rounds, but also throughout the competition weekend.

The competition would not be possible without the support of the Tennessee judiciary. The following judges volunteered to preside over trial rounds:

A complete list of team rankings, award recipients, attorney coaches and photos of the competition are available at the 2010 competition site. Learn more about the high school mock trial program at www.tba.org/mocktrial. Photos of award winners and the top 10 teams are available on request.

The Tennessee Bar Association (TBA) is the largest professional association in Tennessee with more than 13,000 members. Founded in 1881, the TBA provides opportunities for continuing legal education, professional development and public service. The TBA’s dedication to serving the state’s legal community is evidenced by its membership roll, which represents the entire spectrum of legal practice: plaintiff and defense lawyers, corporate counsel, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, government lawyers and legal services attorneys.